The Internet Innovation Alliance is a broad-based coalition of business and non-profit organizations that aim to ensure every American, regardless of race, income or geography, has access to the critical tool that is broadband Internet. The IIA seeks to promote public policies that support equal opportunity for universal broadband availability and adoption so that everyone, everywhere can seize the benefits of the Internet - from education to health care, employment to community building, civic engagement and beyond.
The leaders and supporters
of IIA
Bruce P. Mehlman
Co-Chairman
David Sutphen
Co-Chairman
Tracey Sawicki
Executive Director
Larry Irving
Former Co-Chairman
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Blog posts tagged with 'Studies'
Tuesday, August 17
A recent study shows that the rate of broadband adoption among lower-income households will increase by more than 34 percentage points from 2009 to 2013.
— Shapiro, Robert and Kevin Hassett. “A New Analysis of Broadband Adoption Rates by Minority Households.” Georgetown Center for Business and Public Policy. Washington D.C. June 22, 2010.
Learn more facts in our ever-expanding Broadband Fact Book.
Thursday, August 12
Stratecast has released a new study entitled “Net Neutrality & Broadband Access: Hindrance or Help?” which examines the possible effect proposed regulations on broadband providers would have on investment, broadband deployment, and the National Broadband Plan. We’ve asked Mike Jude, Ph.D. of Stratecast to distill some of the study’s findings. — IIA.
Following the Federal Communication Commission’s announcement that it was pursuing reclassification of broadband service until Title II, network operators warned that, even with promises from the FCC about forbearance, an uncertainty of regulation can severely hurt investment.
Our findings back up network operator concerns. For the most important elements influencing investment decisions (such as ARPU [average revenue per user], CAPEX, OPEX, and innovation), risk is the enemy of investment since it inserts uncertainty into the expectations of revenue and return of investment. Put another way, network operators decide how much to invest based on the outlook for long term return. As we note in the study:
ARPU growth is impacted by net neutrality since one can make the assumption that, to the extent that net neutrality impacts the ability of an operator to offer competitive services, it could reduce the revenue per user. The model predicts that such erosion can be significant…ARPU— the amount that an operator can generate per subscriber in the presence of net neutrality — can be as much as $80 per month less at the limits of this projection. Since this amount is almost exclusively derived from premium services, above the access rate, the impact on the operator is obvious — a dubious investment.
Obviously, this loss will have a major impact on network operator revenues — as much as $4-$5 billion per year, as soon as next year. The ripple effect of this loss would also effect the U.S. economy through the loss or prevention of up to 70,000 jobs by the end of 2011.
These are just some of our findings. Overall, we see the potential for great harm in imposing broadband reclassification and net neutrality.
Mike Jude, Ph.D.
Program Manager — Consumer Communications Services, Stratecast
Wednesday, July 21
From a new study conducted by the Progressive Policy Institute entitled The Coming Communications Boom? Jobs, Innovation, and Countercyclical Regulatory Policy:
There’s little doubt that a permissive regulatory regime for derivatives and securitization helped foster the housing boom, creating millions of jobs in construction and finance. But it also set the stage for the financial crisis that eventually sent unemployment soaring. Right now regulators seems intent on tightening the regulatory regime on the communications sector, despite it being one of the few growth sectors in the economy, and despite the fact that communications-related industries were completely blameless in the housing boom and bust. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering imposing tighter regulations on broadband, bringing it under the same common carrier rules that govern older phone networks. That would be part of a move towards net neutrality, a policy that would require broadband providers to follow rules about what kind of service and products they could offer. There are different approaches to net neutrality, but the strictest version would be like requiring airlines to sell all tickets to a particular destination at the same price, no matter what the time of day or when the ticket was bought.
The debate over net neutrality is intense. But whether or not you think that such a move is a good idea, it seems unlikely that such regulations would boost investment or employment in the telecom industry. The experience of the airline industry suggests that differentiated pricing and service is an essential part of keeping a high-fixed-cost industry running.
The full study — required reading for anyone interested in the current Internet regulations debate — is available at the Progressive Policy Institute’s website.
Friday, June 11
According to a new study from Juniper Research (via Read Write Web), the market for mobile apps is expected to reach $32 billion within the next five years.
Tuesday, April 13
Via TechCrunch, a new report from an outfit called Convergence Consulting Group finds that an estimated 800,000 homes in America dropped cable last year in favor of getting their entertainment needs online.
Tuesday, March 02
The American Consumer Institute has released a new study, “Innovation and National Broadband Policies: Facts, Fiction and Unanswered Questions.” From the Executive Summary:
“Innovation” has emerged as a pivotal element in the debate over whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should impose new constraints on managers and providers of broadband network infrastructures. This study brings to bear facts and analysis emerging from a review of much of the literature on innovation and especially that bearing on claims by advocates of “net neutrality,” “open networks” and related notions.
We find that innovation is thriving at both the core and the edge of the network in the current policy environment, which has fundamentally allowed the Internet to evolve with little government involvement. Further, we find no evidence that greater FCC involvement in markets for broadband services would protect or promote innovation in the Internet Ecosystem. Indeed, we believe that such intervention is more likely to discourage innovation than stimulate it.
The full ACI study is available on their website (PDF).
Tuesday, February 16
Multichannel News digs into a new report from the FCC on the state of high speed Internet in America and finds there’s clear evidence that despite gains, the digital divide is alive and well — especially in low-density areas:
For the fixed connections, like cable and DSL, the commission data found that in 200 counties (representing 1% of U.S. households), no more than 20% met that definition of high speed, while in about half as many counties (104) with eight times the population (8% of the households), 80% had at least those speeds.
Media Post highlights a new report from PR firm Ruder Finn that finds Americans are now spending close to three hours each day using the mobile Internet.
Monday, December 14
The New York Times points to a new study that finds a whopping 87% of people don’t want to pay for online content:
People don’t want to pay for online content, no matter where they are in the world: That’s the result of a new study conducted by the GfK Group based on interviews with 16,800 people in the U.S. and 16 European countries. Only 13 percent of all respondents around the globe said that they were willing to pay for online content, while 33 percent even said that they wanted everything for free, without ads.
News organizations and entertainment companies looking to spur revenue are facing a major uphill battle.
Friday, December 11
When it comes to online video, viewers expect a seamless experience — or sites pay the price. According to a recent study from Tubemogul (via NewTeeVee), over 81% of online video watchers click away immediately if the video they’re watching stutters or stalls.
Thursday, December 03
A new report from analyst firm IDC finds that mobile Internet use is poised to jump in the next year. How big of a jump? The firm estimates that users could reach one billion by the end of next year.
That’s a lot of people — and a lot of content being delivered wirelessly.
(Via Read Write Web.)
Tuesday, October 27
Via Broadcasting & Cable comes word on a new study conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association that finds spectrum currently being held by broadcast networks — spectrum valued at roughly $62 billion — could mean $1 trillion in benefits if it is instead allocated for wireless broadband.
Wednesday, October 21
A new study out of UCLA finds that daily Internet use can boost the brain activity of senior citizens. Reports Medical News Today:
The results showed that at the first scan, the brains of participants with little Internet experience showed activity in regions that control language, reading, memory and visual ability. These are in the frontal, temporal, parietal, visual and posterior cingulate regions of the brain.
At the second scan, after practising searching the Internet for 7 days over 2 weeks at home, the brains of the Internet novices showed activity in the same regions as before, but this time there was new activity in the middle frontal gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus, the parts of the brain that are important for working memory and decision-making.
In fact, after just seven days of using the Internet at home, the novice Internet users showed brain activitation patterns that were very similar to those seen in the group of experienced Internet users, said the researchers.
Though promising, the research reveals drawbacks — namely, that convincing seniors to adopt the Internet remains a challenge.
Tuesday, October 20
Consumers receive benefits from broadband valued at $32 billion annually.
Mark Dutz, Jonathan Orszag, Robert Willig, “The Substantial Consumer Benefits of Broadband Connectivity for U.S. Households,” CompassLexecon and the Internet Innovation Alliance. July 2009.
Monday, October 19
Telephony points to a new study that finds encouraging regular use of the Internet can reduce depression in senior citizens by 20% — and shave millions off of health care costs. But there’s a catch:
Unfortunately, enabling senior citizens to use the Internet isn’t as easy as making sure they have access to PCs and broadband access - and those things are challenging in and of themselves. The level of support seniors require, especially as they move into their 70s and 80s, as more people do today, is vastly different from what the rest of the population needs. Basic issues around computer usage can prevent successful Web surfing, much less use of email or more advanced programming. Things that even my generation takes for granted - the ability to type and to understand computer speak - are things that can stump an older crowd.
Friday, September 11
When it comes to online commerce, speed is essential. In fact, according to a new study from Forrester Research, just a three second lag in loading a website is long enough for 40% of visitors to move on to other sites. Reports the Chicago Tribune:
The study, based on a survey of 1,048 online shoppers conducted in July, is aimed at measuring how customers’ online shopping expectations have changed in the past three years. The conclusion: Shoppers are more satisfied with their online shopping experience than in 2006, when a similar study was conducted. But they are also less forgiving of delays.
Wednesday, September 09
The New York Times reports on a startling new study from United Kingdom research firm Coda. The study, “Mobile Broadband Traffic Across Regions 2009-2017,” predicts that in eight years mobile broadband users will be accessing enough video to total 1.8 exabytes of data — a month.
That’s over a quintillion bytes of data each and every month.
Tuesday, September 01
A surprising new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that those who have embraced email and social networking in order to be involved in local and federal government have pretty much the same profile as those who have traditionally done so. From the study (pdf):
Contrary to the hopes of some advocates, the internet is not changing the socio-economic character of civic engagement in America. Just as in offline civic life, the well-to-do and well-educated are more likely than those less well off to participate in online political activities such as emailing a government official, signing an online petition or making a political contribution.
The Internet offers much potential for citizens to become engaged with local and federal government. But while expanding broadband access to every corner of the country can certainly help spur interest, until people outside of the traditional demographic find a reason to become engaged—which is something candidates and government entities should definitely be exploring—the web’s full civic engagement potential will remain untapped.
Wednesday, August 26
A new report from online security firm McAfee finds that actress Jessica Biel ranks number one when it comes to online searches that can harm users. Reports Ars Technica:
According to McAfee, fans searching for downloads, wallpapers, screensavers, photos, and videos of Biel have a one-in-five chance of ending up at a site that hosts spyware, malware, viruses, adware, spam, or phishing scams. “Jessica Biel screensavers” in particular were very dangerous—almost half of the downloads coming from those sites were malicious.
Friday, August 21
Via the New York Times “Bits” blog comes news of a new study that finds of employers are now using social networks to screen job applicants:
According to a new study conducted by Harris Interactive for CareerBuilder.com, 45 percent of employers questioned are using social networks to screen job candidates — more than double from a year earlier, when a similar survey found that just 22 percent of supervisors were researching potential hires on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn.
The study also found that Facebook was by far the most used site for employers—not too terribly surprising since the site has over 250 million users.
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